Patrick Mouratoglou will be staying as Serena Williams’s coach but he admits
relationship with world No 1 has been 'complicated'

Patrick Mouratoglou will be staying as Serena Williams’s coach but admitted the world No 1 was going through “a difficult period”.

Williams has struggled at the grand slams this year, failing to progress beyond the fourth round. But it was Williams’s performance in the doubles at Wimbledon alongside sister Venus that really gave cause for concern.

The American appeared barely able to stand and was persuaded to quit after serving a game of double faults.

The official explanation was that Williams was suffering from a “viral illness” but that was met with scepticism and the plot thickened when Mouratoglou revealed he had not seen her for two days prior to the match.

The pair have never confirmed anything beyond a professional relationship but it has been an open secret in the sport, and Williams’s state led to speculation of a rift.